The End Of The End

So, tonight was the last episode of Mythbusters. And a bonus reunion show. And a bonus jerk move -- an unaired Duct Tape episode which is to be shown on Science channel, which neither we or the hospital get. A bush league move, in my opinion.

This 14th season has been bittersweet, especially with the firing of the B-team last year. Plus, that whole ending thing. They seem to have been given a big budget this season to go out with, er, a bang. And they had some glitzier and slicker graphics. But it's been an odd season. Too much me-too versions of things. Not nearly as new or as original as earlier seasons.

In tonight's finale they blew up a big RV, with 850 lbs. of AMFO, just to demonstrate a 50,000 frame per second high speed video camera. They ended the show with blowing up another cement truck with 5001 lbs. of AMFO. They built a better wedge plow so they could plow through years of stuff from the show -- after vaporizing Buster as a superhero against a cinder block wall at a supersonic 800+ mph powered by a rocket sled and no I'm not making this up. Spectacular stunts and I laughed, but not exactly mythbusting science.

I'm sure the curators at the Smithsonian were crying.

That was at 8pm. At 9 they did a reunion show with both Adam and Jamie and the B-team. This was the send off they needed. At 10 they reran the first episode. Rocket Car I and the Pop Rokz exploding stomach. Brings back memories...

They had clips of some of my favorites. Lead Balloon was beautiful, especially when it went to origami large scale unfolding with the delicate lead foil. And the Hindenburg thermite paint -- such a lovely scale model destroyed disturbingly like the real thing. Coffee Creamer Fire was magnificent. And Water Heater Rocket was unexpected and terrifying.

So many more simply because I can't think of them.

Mythbusters wasn't science, but it was an examination of sayings, movies, myths, by some technical experts using the hallmarks of science. That made it accessible. That made people wanting more. That made people raise questions about what they did on the show.

Brilliant.

Some labeled Mythbusters as a reality TV show. Given where reality TV has gone, that's an unfortunate and demeaning classification. Entertainment? Sure. That was part of the charm.

That Jamie and Adam aren't exactly friends helped the show. It fueled the professionalism and provided divergent views, rather than me-too buddyism.

Discovery channel didn't always treat the show with respect. Their realization of what they had seemed to go in and out of fashion. Probably with changes in management. The ratings probably were a self-fulfilling prophecy, what with the scheduling games.

But Mythbusters is finished now. I'm sure I'll see reruns over the years.

And I am sad they are done.

Dr. Phil

UPDATE: I forgot, but the final final fade out of the Reunion special was an homage to The Avengers and the schwarma scene. Nicely played, Mythbusters. Nicely played!